This invention is directed to a toy having an articulated body divided into an upper and lower section. Attaching to the upper section are two extension members. The upper section is caused to rock with respect to the lower body section to alternately contact one and then the other of the extension members with the support surface. As the toy is propelled across the support surface the contact of the extension members with the support surface causes the toy to pivot about the extension members to change direction with each contact.
Certain toys are known which are capable of changing direction as they move across a support surface. One such toy is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,649,805. This toy is essentially a tricycle like toy which will move in an oval pathway as first one and then the other of a set of wheels on a common axle is lifted upwardly from a support surface by a lever attached to the axle adjacent to the wheels which rotates with the axle. The third wheel of the triangular type arrangment is freely pivotable such that the toy will pivot about the one of the wheels located on the axle which remains in contact with the ground as the other of the wheels located on the axle is lifted free from the ground by the lever. The arrangement of the parts of this toy however, as noted earlier, cause the toy to move in an oval pathway.
Many toys are known which mimic certain real life counterpart actions. Thus, toy fire trucks are made to mimic real fire trucks, etc. One action which has not been too successfully mimicked is the action associated with snow skiing. In snow skiing, the skier moves from side to side in a very rhythmatic manner, utilizing ski poles to assist in the balance in performing these movements.
Two toys are known which mimic skiing action. The first of these, Netherlands Pat. No. 66,949, incorporates a skier which straddles a small sphere. The skier, his skis, and certain connecting elements, form a cage for the sphere with the lower part of the sphere extended out of the cage such that the totality of the toy can ride on the sphere and move as the sphere rolls in the cage. Because of the freely pivotable nature of the cage about the sphere, it is speculated that movement of this toy will depend a lot on the surface upon which the toy is moved and any objects which the toy contacts in so moving on this surface. As such, it is believed that the movement of this toy will not duplicate the free flowing movements exhibited by an actual skier.
A further skiing toy is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,248,214. In this toy, a figurine is mounted to an apparatus which includes two skis which are spaced apart and supported by two sets of wheels. An upward extending part of the apparatus includes a motor which is connected to a "U" shaped bracket. Two ski poles are pivotally attached to the ends of the "U" shaped bracket. The ends of the "U" shaped bracket go up and down in unison in response to the motor. In response to the ends of the bracket going up and down, the top end of the ski pole to which the bracket is attached is forced downwardly and, because of a small inclination of the ski poles from the vertical, the bottom end of the ski pole is driven into the support surface such that the totality of the toy is driven in a straightforward line across the surface by rolling on these sets of wheels. This toy does little to mimic the free flowing movement of a skier coming down a hill making a multplicity of turns one after the other. The toy more closely mimics the movements of a skier moving across a flat surface by strict arm movement alone to propel the skier by driving the ski poles into the ground.
In view of the widespread interest in skiing, it is believed that there exists a need for a toy which is capable of mimicking the free flowing pivotal movement of a skier as the skier smoothly moves across a surface.